Lockheed Martin should not be limited to "big platforms", that's certainly the reason why the US defense giant decided to come at the LAAD 2017 exhibition to showcase its improved Indago 3 quadcopter small unmanned system. Indago 3 is a lightweight, rapidly deployable, and easy to use, making it the perfect sUAS for supporting small unit airborne imaging needs.

Lockheed Martin Indago 3 quadcopter sUAS at LAAD 2017

The collapsible Indago 3 quadrotor UAS weighs less than 2.3kg. and folds into a man-packable unit that requires no tools for assembly. Indago can be unfolded in 60 seconds, and airborne in just 2.5 minutes. This VTOL features a 12km + range line-of-sight.

Featuring a quick disconnect adapter, Indago allows the operator to choose an appropriate payload that suits the mission. There are payloads available for a variety of different applications including: precision agriculture, mapping, surveying and inspection, and reconnaissance. Additional payloads are in development.

In tandem with the UAV platform, the Indago quadrotor UAS includes a weather-resistant wireless hand controller, which provides an easy-to-use interface for untethered UAV operation. The wireless hand controller can be used for small unmanned aircraft operation, whether fixed wing or VTOL, to provide onboard video recording and high resolution still images. With a runtime of four hours, the lightweight 1.5 kg hand controller has an ergonomic design with a large touchscreen.

Among its capabilities are a full spectrum of features that help make the Indago VTOL transcend the capabilities of an average drone, such as Virtual Cockpit user-friendly mapping interface ; a full waypoint navigation ; Wi-Fi link to laptop and video dissemination ; and In-flight re-tasking.